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But any given day you can find an article(s) on Republicans or Democrats in Congress or the White House taking advantage of their fellow man.

When did being a member of Congress become lucrative? We should not make it lucrative or powerful to be a member of Congress. We should not make it desirable to spend a lifetime in Washington.

They should earn 55,000.00 a year, just like Joe and maybe work in a barracks. That way they can concentrate on one thing, making life better for their fellow American. They are insulated by power, prestige and riches and need to get back down to the "dirt" like the rest of us. Get them out of the high rent district of Washington, give them meager surroundings and maybe they will remember that they go to Congress to serve the American people instead of to be served by the American people. No huge staffs, outlaw lobbying (I thought Obama was going to do this), no private pensions or lifetime pensions after one term in office, no private healthcare, they should be under Obamacare just like the rest of us. And no immunity from insider trading!!

If they were subject to the same things other Americans were subject to (namely LAWS) then we might start making progress and improving life and work environments in America.

Sadly, everything I am saying will never happen. The Foxes are in the Hen house and they love the vittles.

Average Joes (no pun intended, Joe) know exactly how to fix the situation and it all starts in D.C.

Well Stated! I'm with you all the way on this one. Our Congress has grown so corrupt that both sides are deserving full condemnation. Building hedge funds around commitities that THEY control, thereby enabling them to rake in HUGE profits, is one of the primary reasons why our economy is tanking.

There's too much interest being paid by the consumers, atop of the already bloated price of the products we're buying. Big Oil is one such resource that they're building hedge funds around, along with home mortgages. Our mortgages are so high right now, and it sickens me to see Congressional leaders buying up stocks with Banks trying to get a huge piece of the pie.

THROW THEM ALL OUT!

Joe

Israel is more than just a race; it is more than just a nation; it is the people of God, from faith, by faith, and only faith. Those who assemble in the name of Christ Jesus, embrance Israel because they are Israel

Congress should only be intitled to the 'average'. What ever is the average wage of all people in the U.S. is what should be paid. ie. 31,000 dollars. Anything that is illegal for the 'average' person is illegal for those in congress. ie. all should be in Jail for insider trading and stealing of massived perks in travel and expense accounts.

Congress should only be intitled to the 'average'. What ever is the average wage of all people in the U.S. is what should be paid. ie. 31,000 dollars. Anything that is illegal for the 'average' person is illegal for those in congress. ie. all should be in Jail for insider trading and stealing of massived perks in travel and expense accounts.

Looks like we all agree on this. And I will add that lobbyists should be outlawed. They negate the voice of democracy.

Judges should not be allowed to over throw the will of the majority. They also negate the voice of democracy. Judicial activism should be stopped because these judges are turning into little dictators. The will of the people once again is overthrown.

And let as many people as want to run for President, run. This is the way it use to be before the 2 party system. Get rid of the electoral college and let the popular vote win.

See all these little devices that have been put into play to negate the will of the people?

All the best,
Rick

P.S. Of course we all know that none of this will happen, but we can all dream, right?

Based on what past historians have written, I am not very optimistic that the situation in this country can be turned around in the near future. There are too many forces at work that limit the power of the average person, even if the average person was to be vigilant and responsible as a citizen. The ancient Greek historian Polybius in Book VI his volume "The General History of the Wars of the Romans" pretty well laid out the historical pattern that societies go through as the forms of their governments change, along with the conditions and causes leading to those changes. His introduction to the book mentions one of the chief causes of turmoil and hardship - a failure to study and take advantage of learning from the experiences of those who went before you. It is too easy to think, "That won't happen here, to us". The founding fathers of this country were all very familiar with Polybius' writings. I think his analysis of various governments and the conditions leading to each type of them should be required reading for students. One of the things that might surprise people is his view of "democracy". He rightly notes that democracy is dangerous. One of the problems we face today is a lack of precision in communication. America was never set up as a "democracy" where the majority of the people decided how things ought to be. It was a set up as a "republic", where the majority of people got to elect some of their peers, whose judgement they trusted, to pass laws that were based on what would be in the public's best interest, and not on what the temporary whims and passions of the majority happened to be. The elected officials were a kind of "buffer" against knee-jerk reactions. Somewhere in the last hundred years or so, the term "democracy" began to be used more and more, eventually reaching the point now where you hardly ever hear the word "republic" used in reference to our form of government.

On top of the challenges documented in historical patterns, we also have the historically unprecedented pace of technological progress. As the body of knowledge increases, it takes more time and effort to keep up with the cutting edge. (we all have to "start from scratch" when we are born, but now there is more to be learned. Even if you can afford the schooling to master the knowledge, it also takes a lot more capital to implement and take advantage of high-tech systems, another disadvantage for the average person) Those who can keep up will eventually rule over those who can't (or won't). A good example would be the supposed "protection" from the government that the 2nd amendment supposedly provides. Anybody who thinks their arsenal of firearms will be any match in restraining the high-tech weapons developed by the military is living in La-La-Land.